Thicker Than Water
by tarin2014tfan
Summary: Otherworldly beings have captured the turtles to determine if they can be of service to them.


**Thicker Than Water**

**Disclaimer** \- I do not own TMNT or any of the characters therein. Some VERY rich dude does.  
**Rating** \- Mature (Don't like. Do not read.)  
**Story Warnings** \- Emotional distress, Capture, Imprisonment, Illness, Psychological manipulation, Supernatural happenings (Don't like these topics? Do not read.)  
**Pairings **\- None (Don't like? Do not read.)  
**Universe** \- 2003  
**Ages** \- All turtles are 23

**Chapter Credits** \- 'The Fifth Element' - Movie, 'The Princess Bride' - Movie

**Summary** \- Otherworldly beings have captured the turtles to determine if they can be of service to them.

**Thicker Than Water**

"Leo..."

It sucked having a headache.

"Leo! Wake up!"

It sucked more waking up with a headache.

"Is he awake? All I can see is his ass end, an' it ain't moving."

Worse still was waking up with a headache chained to a wall.

"I think so. He's making facial expressions."

And nothing compared to waking up with a headache chained to a wall with no idea how you got there.

"'Bout damn time! He's been out too damn long!"

But the icing on the cake was waking up that way to find your brothers in the same situation.

"He was in front, Raph. He got the biggest dose."

Not the perfect way to start your day. But then again, when was he ever given a choice?

"I'm awake." Leo groaned, scrunching his eyes against the pounding in his temples. "Unfortunately."

"Easy, bro. Da headache'll be gone in a couple seconds, but don't make any sudden movements 'til da nausea passes."

Leo took a deep breath, forcing his pain ridden brain to decipher what his emerald brother had said.

_Nausea? _

He lifted a shoulder as if to rise.

"I don't feel..."

"Don't move, Leo!"

"Not advisable!"

"Stop!"

"... naus..."

Leo fell back onto the floor, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat.

"Dammit, Fearless! Move slow! If ya don't, it makes it ten times worse!"

"Now you tell me." Leo's muttered words could barely be heard.

"Sudden movement before complete recovery brings on intense nausea, Leo. I would advise you to follow Raph's instructions to the letter for the next half hour or so."

Leo turned his head to look at his purple banded brother, '_Et tu, Don?',_ was clearly etched on his face.

"Hey, Leo! Give ya two guesses how Raph got to be the expert!" Mikey's overly amused snicker was immediately followed by his emerald brother's less than impressed growl.

Normally, Leo would have at least smiled at Mikey's never ending teasing of the emerald brawler, but right now breathing was about all he could manage. And that was pushing it.

_Note to self, add nausea to list of sucky morning criteria._

After what felt like hours to the ailing turtle, and longer to his brothers, Leo's nausea began to lessen. Once his queasiness reached a manageable level the sword master rolled over onto his side fully believing everything to now be under control.

_Bad idea! Bad, bad idea!_

"Dammit Leo! I said take it SLOW!"

_How much slower can I possibly go?_

Metal rattled as all three brothers surged against their chains trying in vain to reach their incapacitated sibling.

Every clash of metal, every angry snarl, every pained grunt brought memories of past horrors to the forefront of Leo's mind. Images of his brothers crouched on filth covered floors, shackled to stained walls with blood dripping from their mangled wrists pushed their way through Leo's suffering.

Fear took control.

He tried to speak.

Nothing came out but pained whimpers.

He tried to turn his head, hoping to silently communicate with whichever brother was closest that he was alright.

He couldn't. The simple movement proved too taxing.

He tried to move his hand. A finger. Toe. Something, anything to tell his brothers he was alright! Unfortunately any and all movement, regardless of how small, only escalated the nausea.

_I will NOT throw up! _

Leo kept his mouth clamped shut breathing noisily through his nose.

"Stop moving!"

"Be still, Leo!"

"Quit squirmin' 'round!"

The rattle of chains grew louder.

He was only making things worse! For everyone!

Leo stopped.

He lay perfectly still in the manner only a ninja can achieve, and waited.

He could do nothing more.

The wave of relief felt by one particular brother when Leo stopped struggling almost brought said turtle to his knees.

"'Bout damn time ya listened! Now don't move 'til da nausea's COMPLETELY gone! Dat way when it comes back, it won't push ya over da edge!"

Raphael wanted to say more, but instead stayed quiet. He knew Leo had to stay still to recover, but watching his brother lay there looking dead to the world was more nerve-racking than watching him struggle. Raph was never strong on patience, and what little he had took a serious nosedive seeing his brother so still.

"Leo..." Raph hoped for at least an eyelid twitch.

He got nothing.

It felt as if Raph's heart had taken up new permanent residence in his throat.

"Leo!?" The emerald turtle lunged against his chains, the force of his ferocity shocking his two younger brothers. "Bro! Ya hear me?" His voice took on a panicked edge.

Everything Leo was going through, the weakness, the pained whimpers, the deathlike stillness, all struck a little too close to home for the red banded turtle. It reminded Raph of the dangerous state Leo had deteriorated into after Splinter's death.

The loss of their father devastated them all, but Splinter's death, and the resulting responsibilities almost killed Leo. Raph had watched helplessly as the identifying spark that was his older brother dimmed almost to the point of extinction, leaving the second-in-command feeling truly afraid for the first time in his life.

It was a situation Raphael vowed to never experience again.

"Dammit, Leonardo! ANSWER ME!"

Leo jumped, inhaling sharply.

"Whu..."

Had he passed out? Fallen asleep? What?

"He's awake, Raph! Now ease up before you hurt yourself!"

Leo frowned.

Why did Donatello sound so afraid? Had someone entered the room? Threatened them? Was one of them hurt? Why was no one saying anything!?

His fear kept building.

Leo drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He concentrated on centering himself, on calming his rising anxiety as he had been trained to do since childhood. The fearful thoughts slowly cleared, letting logic prevail.

His brothers were calm, especially Mikey given their current situation. That left only one other possible reason for Donnie's upset.

Raphael was being bull-headed, and overprotective again.

Not good.

If they were going to get out of this alive, Leo needed his brothers focused and level-headed, not worrying about him. He had to convince them he was alright.

Carefully Leo moved his hand out from his body. Bile started crawling up his throat. He swallowed hard, determined to push through the discomfort without embarrassing himself.

He wasn't sure which brother saw him lift his thumb, but Leo knew his message had been received when a noisy sigh of relief sounded out in the room. It was quickly followed by two more.

The chain rattling stopped.

The corners of Leo's mouth curled up as the he gave his own heart felt sigh of relief.

For the next several minutes Leo followed his emerald brother's advice as if the words had come from Splinter himself. He lay perfectly still, taking slow, measured breaths, and waited for the nausea to pass completely.

In time, it did.

Moving only his eyes, Leo looked at his emerald brother, silently asking what to do next.

"When ya can, get up on yer hands an' knees. An' take it SLOW!"  
_  
This should be fun... Not!_

It took a few minutes, and a couple tries, but eventually Leo made it up onto his hands and knees.

"Now stay dat way 'til da dizziness passes."

_Dizziness?_

Leonardo shot Raphael a pleading look.

The brawler, looking utterly helpless, just shook his head and shrugged. Apparently this was part of the recovery process, and couldn't be avoided.

_Great!_

Maybe now wasn't such a good time for Leo to tell his brothers he got nauseous whenever he felt dizzy.

"Keep your head up off the floor, Leo. Dropping your head below your heart will only increase the dizziness."

It seemed at least one brother already knew.

After several minutes of doing nothing but fighting the urge to vomit, and breathing as the world spun around him, Leo decided to chance talking.

"Any..." He paused, swallowing down the rising burn in his throat. "Anything else I need to know before I stand up?"

Raph was quick to answer.

"Yeah. Don't!"

Donnie, and Mikey were even quicker to agree.

"Bad idea, bro!"

"Not advisable!"

"Stand up now an' ya go right back ta square one."

Leo fought the urge to flinch. "I'd like to avoid that, if at all possible."

"Hear, hear!" Mikey chimed in.

"Listen ta me, an' ya jus' might get yer wish, Fearless," Raph's voice, though highly sympathetic, sounded just a little smug. "First, ya gotta get up on da bench behind ya. Den when yer stomach settles, drink da water inna glass. After dat, ya'll be okay."

"I'm guessing this comes from personal experience?" Leo asked after having located said bench.

"Yeah, he moved too fast, and ralphed his guts up!"

Leave it to Mikey to sum things up in a nice, neat little package no matter how disgusting the topic.

"My head was over da drain," Raph grumbled, motioning to a round grate in the center of a mild depression in the floor. "Yer safe."

"Lucky for us!" Mikey chuckled. "It was worse than Casey's bachelor party!"

Once again Mikey's laugh was followed by Raph's unimpressed growl.

Leo turned his head looking at the drain. He didn't know why, but for some reason that small metal grate struck him as odd.

He twisted his upper body, hoping to get a better look, but stopped when his stomach threatened to rebel.

With a pained groan, the blue leader eased himself back into a less demanding, forward facing posture. He lay his forehead on the back of his crossed hands, and breathed.

_I'll figure it out later, when I'm done with this nausea mess._

That drain was important.

Everyone waited. It didn't take as long for Leo to recover enough to move this time as it had before, but tensions and worry from his brothers still rose.

Slowly, Leo inched his way across the floor. After each minute movement of hand, or leg, one or all of Leo's brothers would noisily release the breath they didn't realize they had been holding. Every time the nauseated turtle paused to let his stomach settle before making another tentative movement, chains would rattle, and hisses of frustrated helplessness would sound out.

It felt like hours, but eventually the top of Leo's head brushed against the bottom edge of the bench.

_Finally!_

Feeling elated, Leo crossed his arms on top of the bench, lay his head on them, and did nothing but breathe.

It wouldn't have taken much for the exhausted turtle to go to sleep right then and there. His muscles ached. His head hurt. His mouth felt like he had been chewing on cotton balls for a week. His stomach wouldn't stop churning. His throat burned. He was nothing but miserable!

_This is worse than what we went through after stopping Shredder from leaving the planet!_

"You're almost there, Leo. You just have to get up on the bench."

"Yeah, bro! You're kicking shell!"

Leo turned his head just enough to be able to see all three of his brothers.

Mikey was straining against his chains looking as if he was going to start chanting, 'Go, Leo, Go!' any minute. Donnie, although more subdued, carried a similar air of excitement. But it was Raph that truly surprised him

The red banded brawler sat on his bench, arms crossed over his chest, feet stretched out in front of him, looking to all the world like the most bored individual alive. It was an entirely different story when Leo looked into his brother's amber eyes.

Raph's eyes shone with a level of pride seldom seen in the emerald turtle, and it was directed right at his older brother.

Leo's brothers' belief in him was humbling, and empowering.

_I can't let them down._

_I WON'T let them down!_

With careful movements, Leo worked at getting himself up onto the seat. Again, after each movement he paused, waiting for the nausea to lessen before continuing. Things went rather well, right up until the point Leo pushed himself up off the floor to actually sit on the bench.

_Don't throw up! Don't throw up! Do NOT throw up!_

Leo breathed. He leaned his aching head against the cool surface of the wall behind him, and just breathed. He didn't think. He didn't try to plan. He closed his eyes, and tried his best to tune out the sounds around him. He fell into himself, concentrating solely on his body, and bringing it back to a normal state. He didn't even notice the thin line of drool running from the corner of his mouth.

_Eating my own cooking in the jungle wasn't this bad!_

A quiet whimper escaped him as Leo fought back a belch... At least he hoped it was a belch, and not something worse.

As his nausea slowly lessened, Leo's frustration quickly grew.

Here they were again! He and his brothers being held captive by an unknown enemy with unknown intentions. Stuck in a cell. Chained. No weapons. Nothing they could even turn INTO a weapon since the benches were bolted to the floor! They had no idea how long they had been there. No idea how long they would remain there. And no idea how many they were up against!

It was as bad a situation as they had ever been in, and here he was sick as a dog, and weak as a kitten!

_Some leader I turned out to be._

Mikey coughed.

Across from him, Leo heard chains rattle as if his brother was checking for weak spots.

_Yes, Leonardo Hamato, you ARE the leader._

Leo grabbed his determination by the proverbial bootstraps, and yanked.

His body may be trapped inside a never ending revolving door of misery, but his mind wasn't! Time to turtle up!

_Now act like it!_

"Raph," Leo paused to swallow. "You seem to be doing okay," he didn't wait for a reply. "Don, Mikey, what about the two of you?"

With his eyes closed, Leo didn't see the confident grins, nor the hopeful looks that passed between his three siblings.

"We're good, bro! Just hanging out, waiting on you and Raph!"

To Leo's ears, Mikey sounded just a bit too cheerful, and had answered just a bit too quickly.

Donnie noticed Leo's frown; a sure sign big brother wasn't buying Mikey's over-the-top cheeriness in the least.

"Mikey's right, Leo, to a certain extent. We both were awake and fully recovered quite some time before Raph regained consciousness."

Cautiously Leo cracked open his eyes to verify the two youngest were indeed alright, and not simply trying to lessen his worry. They had done it often enough in the past the leader was skeptical.

Instead of his purple and orange banded brothers, Leo saw two large green fuzz covered blobs, one with a purple streak near the top, and the other with orange.

_Now what!?_

Leo blinked hard a couple of times to clear the fuzziness from his eyes. It didn't help much. His world still resembled something along the lines of a still wet oil painting left outdoors during a thunderstorm.

"Scrunch yer eyes a few more times, Fearless. Dat'll clear da blurriness, but don't rub 'em! Dat'll just make it worse."

"Is that what happened to you?" Leo asked, giving his eyes a few more hard scrunches.

"No, that would be me," Mikey sighed. "It took about ten minutes of my eyes tearing up for them to clear."

With a concerned frown, Leo looked from his baby brother to Donatello. "Ten minutes of tearing up?"

Donnie nodded. "I experienced blurry vision too, though I think Raph had too many other concerns going on to notice if his vision blurred."

The emerald turtle snorted humorlessly.

"My best guess would be," the genius continued, knowing his leader would want a more detailed explanation, "the blurriness was brought on by a chemical change in our bodies' hydration systems caused by the gas they used to knock us out. Because Mikey's vision worsened when he rubbed his eyes, I can only assume the 'gunk'," Don held his hands up making air quotes, "for lack of a more accurate term, that blurred our vision deposited itself on the underside of our eyelids."

Leo continued blinking as he thought about Donnie's theory. "So, it would be safe to assume, based on your theory, that the reason my eyes remained clear while I had them open was because of the moisture in the air?"

Donnie was practically beaming. "Yes! Though I would venture to guess there is more moisture in the air in this room than there normally would be since Mikey isn't coughing as much as he usually does after having inhaled a foreign substance."

Raph frowned, turning to stare at the youngest turtle. "Don's right. Mike's only coughed twice since I woke up, an' normally he'd be hackin' up a lung."

During the time Donatello was most interested in human and animal biology, the purple banded genius had begged his brothers to help him scavenge an old x-ray machine from a local veterinary clinic. He had painstakingly reassembled the machine, repaired what was damaged, and returned it to perfect working order. He then proceeded to take internal pictures of his brothers and Master Splinter to see what made them 'tick'.

Upon comparison, Donnie discovered Mikey had the greatest lung capacity of the four brothers. That readily explained Mikey's greater endurance and speed over his brothers'. It also explained why the sea green turtle tended to suffer longer when exposed to excessive smoke, or after contracting any kind of respiratory illness.

"Furthermore, Mikey's eyes only cleared from excessive tearing after having drank the water. Again, and I'm only theorizing here, the introduction of untainted water into our hydration systems dilutes, or possibly eliminates the chemical contamination from the gas. Which would also explain why Raph, Mikey, and I felt considerably better after drinking the water provided by our captors."

Leo resisted the urge to reach up and rub at his clearing eyes. Whenever Donnie got caught up in one of his lengthy, scientific, explanations the blue banded ninja always felt an overwhelming need to do that, mainly because trying to keep up with his genius brother gave him a headache. Now, since Splinter had died, Leo found himself doing so more frequently for reasons that had nothing to do with his brothers.

"But Mikey's eyes are alright now?"

Donnie looked at Mikey then back to Leo. He frowned slightly before answering. "I don't have any way to test his visual acuity, Leo. All I can go on is what Mikey says, and he says he's fine."

"Yeah, dude. I'm really okay." Mikey's tone indicated the orange banded turtle was worried about Leo's want of unnecessary reiteration as well.

Leo opened his mouth to continue questioning, but was quickly cut off by Donatello bringing the focus of their discussion back to a more pressing topic.

"Leo, I promise I'll explain everything as best I can, but first, I want you to drink that water," Donnie motioned to Leo's left. "It will help."

"A lot," Mikey added, still sounding worried.

The unmistakable sound of keratin rubbing against cement drew Leo's attention.

"Drink da water, Leo." Raph's posture still resembled that of someone completely bored with the situation, but his expression was all business. "Ya can't lead us outta here if yer throwin' up every two minutes."

Leo sighed.

_He's right. Dammit! Why can't I get my act together!?_

Leo looked to his left. A wooden tumbler filled with clear liquid sat beside him on the bench. He downed it in one long gulp, instantly feeling better.

"I think the chemical composition of the gas they used to knock us out is either water based, or water soluble to some point," Donnie explained. "That's the only theory I can come up with for why we felt better within mere seconds of drinking the water."

"Either that, or it's not water at all but some kind of miracle medicine," Mikey piped up.

Leo then noticed on each of his brothers' benches sat a wooden tumbler similar to the one he held.

With Donnie, and Raph focused on Leo, and Leo focused on the cups, everyone missed the mischievous twinkle that momentarily sparked in Mikey's baby blue eyes.

"Bu-ut, if it IS just water how come some of us; me," the sea green turtle fake coughed. "Got our butts chewed for drinking ours without first checking to see if it was laced with something?"

Donnie gave his baby brother an incredulous look. "Given our current situation," he held up his hand, shaking it so the chains attached to his wrist rattled. "Checking for contaminants seemed the logical thing to do."

Oops, Mikey forgot to take THAT into consideration when calculating his genius brother's possibly responses.

Eager to see how his jokester brother was going to get out of this one, Raph let loose a somewhat muffled snicker.

Mikey scowled at his emerald brother. Oh, he of little faith! Raph should know him better than that by now! This was not a big deal. Nothing more than a small oops easily fixed.

Keeping with appearances, the prankster looked appropriately surprised.

"Okay, that's fair," Mikey grudgingly admitted. "But just how was I supposed to go about checking for contamination? As you can see," he motioned to the confines of their cell. "There's no science-y stuff just lying around waiting to be used in here. Besides," one sea green finger zeroed in on the purple banded genius. "You woke up first! And I'm pretty sure you checked yours before drinking it! And since I didn't find you flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water I figured mine would have been fine too. Which, might I point out, it was!"

Having made his point, Michelangelo took a flourishing bow.

Donnie's sigh, though patient, sounded very long suffering.

"Yes, I did check mine before drinking it."

Keeping his bow, Mikey popped his head up to look at his genius brother. "How!?" he demanded.

"I sniffed it," Donnie answered simply. "As you are well aware, the vast majority of mind altering, body debilitating substances give off a distinct, identifiable odor when mixed with liquid," the genius couldn't help smirking at his brightly banded brother as Mikey slowly came up from his bow. "You could have very easily checked your own water for contamination as well by simply sniffing it." Donnie sniffed twice to demonstrate his point.

Exasperation forgotten, the genius continued.

"Restricted in my movement," Donnie again rattled the chain attached to his wrist, "and therefore unable to reach your cup to determine if your water had been drugged, little brother, it would have been prudent for you to check it yourself before drinking it. Because if memory serves, we have several enemies who wouldn't hesitate in the least to drug one of us, but not ALL of us just for kicks. THIS you also know."

Oozing an air of superiority and triumph, Donnie looked full on at his younger brother, grinning from ear slit to ear slit. "YOU, little brother, got lucky!"

Leo wasn't sure, but he would have sworn he saw the ghost of a smile cross Mikey's face.

"Of course I'm lucky, bro! It's in my nature! But YOU forgot a few other things I just so happen to also know!" Mikey paused to stick his tongue out at his brainy brother. "One, not all chemicals give off a smell when mixed with water. How do I know this, you wonder? Well, you see I have this super genius older brother who once told me that when he was testing a certain, frequently used by our family water source for possible contamination. You also forgot to mention those distinct, identifying odors you were talking about, they smell worse than Casey's place after Thai night! So, if my water was drugged, I'd have smelled the stink LONG before I sat down on the bench. In fact, if ANY of our waters had been spiked, we'd have known long before we even knew the water was there because there's no detectable air currents in here, meaning there's no outgoing ventilation." Hand on his chin Mikey struck a highly overexaggerated lecturing pose. "Any smell would have just hung around making itself right at home. That is unless they used one of those substances that don't give off a smell, but those supposedly change the color of the liquid, also according to my super genius, older brother."

Mikey grinned at said genius brother who stood there slack-jawed, and highly stunned.

"I learn," the sea green turtle said in perfect imitation of Leeloo from the Fifth Element. "And if you can name me even ONE of those known enemies or ours who is considerate enough to give us water for ANY reason after going to all the trouble of knocking us out, and chaining us up in a dungeon, I'll do all your chores for the next year!"

Donatello blinked, realizing he had just been set up by his baby brother. Again!

Mikey grinned; he wasn't done yet.

"Don't feel bad, bro," the prankster said apologetically. "If you keep practicing, you'll get that Vizzini-Westley iocane powder drinking challenge scene down in no time."

Donnie burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Touché, little brother! Touché!"

Mikey had done it again! He had gotten all three of his brothers to laugh. The tension was broken. The four of them would now be able to focus as a team, and figure a way out of their current situation.

And for that, Leonardo was eternally grateful.

The leader quickly got his laughter under control, but continued to smile. "Okay team, by the book... Report."

Donnie went first.

"No sign of injury, physical or internal, also no outward indication of experimentation. No lingering effects from being unconscious, after drinking the water that is." Donatello gave his oldest brother a pointed look, "By the way, Leo. You should be feeling fine now."

Leo's eyes grew wide. He did! Surprisingly enough, he felt fine!

Donnie just grinned continuing with his medical report.

"It took eleven point eight seven minutes longer for Raph to recover than it did for Mikey. I would say that's because Raph pushed himself, setting his recovery time back by an average of two point six nine minutes each time. It took you five point six four minutes longer to recover than Mikey. You also pushed yourself, just not as much, having had the added benefit of Raph's mistakes."

Leo wasn't sure if Donnie was teasing him, teasing Raph, or simply being himself. He decided it didn't really matter, and opted to let it go.

"Don, you woke first, has anyone checked on us that you know of?"

"Not to my knowledge, Leo." Donnie glanced around the upper corners of the room. "No one's come in. There's no indication of an observation port on the door. I see no obvious signs of cameras, or audio devices."

"So it appears they just threw us in here, and left us."

"So it would seem."

"Good," Leo looked at each of his brothers. "That gives us time. Let's use it wisely."

Thinking over what his brother had said, Leo absently set the empty water tumbler down beside him on the bench. He immediately jumped up, tripping over the chains attached to his wrists and falling on his tail, watching in shock as the wooden cup slid across the top of the bench, stopping at the exact spot it had originally been placed.

"I guess we should have told you about that," Donnie said, sounding equally amused and contrite amongst the snickers of his brightly banded brothers.

Pausing only long enough to glare at Donatello, Leo picked himself up off the floor, and cautiously approached the bench. He reached out, poking the tumbler trying to tip it over. It didn't move. He next tried picking it up only to discover the thing wouldn't budge.

"Ya can't pick it up unless yer sittin' on da bench."

Leo gave his brother a skeptical look to which Raph, still sitting on his bench, simply shrugged, and reached over picking up his own cup. The emerald turtle then set his cup back down, watching as it slid back into place before standing, and trying to pick it up again.

Raph's cup, like Leo's stuck fast.

"He's right, Leo," Donnie said. "By the time Raph woke up, Mikey, and I had already recovered. We knew the water helped, so when Raph pushed himself, setting back his recovery, we encouraged him to drink it as quickly as possible. Weakened by his relapse, Raph had difficulty getting up on the bench, and when he tried to pick up the glass while kneeling on the floor, it wouldn't move."

"He couldn't pick it up until he got most of his weight up on the bench," Mikey added. "He took a couple sips, and every time he set the glass back down it slid across to it's original spot."

Leo sat back down on his bench, and sure enough, he easily picked up the wooden tumbler.

"Set it on da floor, an' watch what happens," the emerald turtle said with a smirk.

Leo could hear the underlying amusement in his brawler brother's voice. Anything Raph found funny enough to get even a little excited over was something Leo wanted very much to see.

His curiosity piqued, the leaf green turtle set the tumbler on the floor beside his feet.

All four watched in utter amazement as the wooden cup tipped itself over, and rolled up the leg of Leo's bench. It momentarily disappeared from sight as it traversed the underside of the seat then reappeared as it rolled up over the edge onto the top. As before, the cup moved along the top of the bench to it's original place. It circled twice before tipping itself upright, and settling into it's original spot.

Leo couldn't help but grin, it truly was amazing. "Theories?" he asked, setting the wooden tumbler back on the floor to watch it roll itself into place once again.

"Assuming our captors knew we needed that water to fully recover, they must have secured the glasses to the benches so we wouldn't accidentally knock them over while trying to get up off the floor." Mikey shrugged when his brothers turned to stare at him. "What?"

"If you had really applied yourself when we were younger, little brother, I seriously doubt I'd have ended up as leader," Leo said.

"Uh, no way, bro," Mikey waved his hands looking utterly scandalized. "Your job has way more work to it than I EVER want to do! I am perfectly happy being the secret weapon, and the cute one!"

Leo couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, secret weapon, how does that work? Unless I'm mistaken, the last time I checked wood wasn't magnetic."

"Dunno," Mikey shrugged, dropping his tumbler to the floor. "Gotta ask the genius that one."

Leo turned to his purple banded brother.

"I have no idea," Donnie shook his head. "Without some way of testing the benches, and the cups, I couldn't even begin to theorize."

Leo picked up his cup, giving it one last look before dropping it on the floor. This time he ignored it as the wooden tumbler rolled back into place "I guess we leave that question for whoever locked us in here." He turned to the next brother. "Raph, what's our possibility of escape?"

"Zero," the emerald brawler growled. "We ain't gettin' outta here 'til whoever put us in here decides ta let us out. Dere's no locks ta pick on da cuffs, an' dere's no weak spots in da chains."

Leo turned, examining the section of wall behind him where his chains connected to the wall. "What about the wall anchors?"

"I'm gonna be honest wid ya, Leo. I can't figure out how dese t'ings're attached ta da walls. Dere's no mountin' plates, no anchors. Dere's not even any spaces, or uneven edges ta show dey're cemented inta da walls."

Raph said nothing more, but Leo could tell his emerald brother was hiding something.

"What are you NOT saying, Raph?"

The emerald brawler looked at Leo from under his furrowed eyeridges. "I don't know how dey did it, Leo, but dese chains are part OF da wall. Dey're not attached TO it; dey're an extension OF it."

Leo ran his fingers over the links of the chain attached to his wrist. He felt no breaks in the individual links, no evidence whatsoever that each link had been wrapped around its neighbors then folded closed.

That was impossible.

The sword master's frown deepened.

Wasn't it?

"How's that even possible?" Leo asked, looking from Raphael to Donnie.

"Unless we are up against an enemy who can manipulate a large piece of whatever this is in the same manner a wood carver can manipulate a piece of oak without leaving seams, it isn't."

Leo's scowl deepened as his mind worked to process what his genius brother had just said. "How big are we talking about here, Don?"

"The size of this room at least."

Hazel eyes widened in disbelief. "The size of..." Leo turned, scanning the walls then it dawned on him. "The walls have no seams?"

"Not even in da corners," Raph growled, giving his chains a frustrated yank.

Leo didn't like where this was heading. "Donnie, have we come in contact with any race with tech even remotely close to something like this?"

Donnie shook his head. "No. The Utroms are the most advanced race we've ever encountered, and any race with the level of technology we've seen here is as far advanced beyond the Utroms as the Utroms are beyond Neanderthals."

"What 'bout dose races we met in da future? Some a dem were pretty advanced."

"Not even them. I read some vague descriptions of a race that MAY have been this advanced, but the records said that race died off eons before humankind crawled up out of the primordial ooze."

Although he had been expecting it, that was the last thing Leonardo wanted to hear. "So we're facing a completely unknown enemy far more advanced than any we have encountered before." His determination took a considerable nosedive.

"One thing's for sure though, guys," Mikey said, glancing from brother to brother. "Whoever these people are, they don't mean us any harm."

"How do you get that?" Leo asked, giving his youngest brother his full attention.

Mikey held up his arm, pointing to the chained cuff locked around his wrist. "One, these things are padded, all the way around. No matter how hard we yank on them, we can't get hurt."

"He's right," Raph growled, yanking his arm against the chain holding him in place. "Any other time my wrist'd be hamburger by now."

"And for that, I for one am thankful," Leo gave his emerald brother a meaningful glance. "What else?"

"Two," Mikey continued. "They knew the water would help us recover. If for no other reason than they made the stuff that knocked us out," he said in response to Donnie's unspoken question. "And they made sure we wouldn't accidentally lose it." He then motioned to the benches they all sat on with the empty tumblers sitting upright on the seats.

"It was also rather convenient for Raph to be positioned over the floor drain when he woke up, considering he rushed to get back on his feet, and threw up. It was kind of like they knew he would do that, and were saving him the embarrassment and humiliation."

Leo's brow furrowed as the leaf green turtle stared at the drain situated in the center of the floor. He stood, and walked forward, testing the length of the chain linking him to the wall.

The chain allowed for three steps past the floor drain as long as Leo kept his arms by his side. Taking one step back, the leaf green turtle quickly discovered he could comfortably squat over the floor drain.

Leo's eyes widened in surprise._ So THAT'S what it is!_

"Interesting," Donnie said, looking up at his brother.

"What?" Mikey asked, having yet to figure out what his brother's were thinking.

"It's a toilet."

"Yeah?"

"Mh-hm," Leo nodded, going back to his bench. "They don't want us hurt. They give us the means to feel better after being knocked out. They make us relatively comfortable inside our cell. And with providing this," he pointed to the floor drain. "They're obviously not out to humiliate us."

"So what? We've been captured by a villain wid a conscience?"

"So it would seem."

"They could've left us our weapons."

"They're considerate, Mikey. Not stupid."

The brothers weren't given long to contemplate this new revelation. A low hissing sound, followed by a sudden gust of air drew their attention to the opposite end of their cell, where the door was slowly opening. A woman, human in appearance, cautiously entered.

Everything about the woman was average; average color hair, average height, average build. Nothing about her stood out, except for the clothing she wore.

She was dressed all in white. From her head to her feet, pure, untainted, white. The kind of white one would often see in clouds high in the sky on a clear summer day, or in the deep drifts left behind by an hours long snowfall out in the country away from the city's never ending pollution.

Somewhere, in the hidden recesses of his mind, Leo felt as if the stark whiteness of the woman's dress should for some reason hurt his eyes, but it didn't. Even though the lack of color in the woman's attire caused him no physical pain, it did cause the blue banded ninja a great deal of anxiety, setting him on edge.

This unassuming woman was dangerous.

With his bench being closest to the door, Leo placed himself as best he could between the woman and his brothers. He edged a few steps closer to the wall than he felt comfortable with, making a loop of the excess chain. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was better than nothing.

From the corner of his eye, the ninja leader saw Raphael move into a similar position on the opposite side.

Leaving the door open behind her, the woman moved five steps into the room, and stopped.

"I mean you no harm, beings of Terra." Her voice, just like the rest of her, was very non-descript in both tone, and inflection. "I have been sent to bring you to she who can answer all of your questions."

"What if we don't wanna go?" Raph growled, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet.

"You may remain here if that is your wish." The woman's gaze shifted from Raph to Leo as if she knew in some way, the blue banded turtle was in charge.

"Would this... woman come here if we choose not to leave?" Leo asked.

"No."

Raph exploded. "What da hell kinda choice is dat!?" he snarled. "We either rot here, or follow you ta who knows what kinda torture!"

The woman remained silent, staring at Leo.

The blue banded turtle watched her in turn. Nothing about this woman indicated a threat of any kind to him, or his brothers, yet something, some instinct deep down, was telling the sword master he was about to encounter the worst danger of his life.

Finally, having made his decision, Leo turned to his brothers. "We go with her."

The woman bowed her head, acknowledging Leo's decision, but otherwise made no move.

"Leo! Are you nuts!?" Raph demanded.

Leo cringed ever so slightly at his red banded brother's angry words. "Not at all, Raphael," there was a discernable tightness in Leo's voice. "Right now any danger to us is minimal. I'm not dismissing the fact that could change at any moment, but if these people had wanted to do us harm, they've had plenty of opportunity to do so. Besides, we're not going to accomplish anything locked up in here."

"Fine! But one wrong move, and she's mine!"

Leo turned back to the woman. "If I leave anything," he said.

"If you will follow me," the woman said, seemingly unconcerned by the threats directed her way.

"Kinda hard, lady," Raph growled, lifting his arm. "When ya got us chained ta da damn walls!"

Before the emerald turtle finished speaking, all of their chains fell away, clattering to the floor.

"How..." Mikey never got the chance to finish before the chains started sliding across the floor disappearing into the walls. The sea green turtle screeched, leaping across the depression in the floor to huddle behind his blue clad brother.

"Interesting," Donnie muttered, reaching for the section of wall his chains had vanished into.

"I wouldn't if I were ya, genius. Might get sucked in," Raph warned, grabbing onto his brother's wrist.

"I don't think it will," Donnie brought his free hand up to touch the wall. "It's slightly warm."

"That's not the only thing," Leo motioned to the benches. "Look."

All four wooden tumblers were slowly melting into the tops of the benches.

"How is this even possible?" Donnie wondered, running his hand over the now smooth surface of his bench.

"Does not everything in time return to the foundations of its creation on your home world?" the woman asked. "Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust." She nodded towards the benches. "So it is here."

All four turtles watched in shock as the benches they had been sitting on began to flow as if they had suddenly lost cohesion, and were turning to a liquid state. More surprising, especially to Donatello when the genius noticed it, was the fact the now liquified benches were defying gravity.

Donnie found it impossible to contain his excitement. "The benches aren't flowing down into the floor drain! They're moving towards each other flowing along the bottom edges of the walls."

"What's so important 'bout dat?" Raph sounded more than a little shaken.

"Gravity. Without something to divert it, all free-flowing substances move towards the lowest point." Donnie pointed to the gathering mass of at the back of the room. "That is moving along the top of a sloped floor, defying gravity."

"As if it has a mind of its own, just like in 'The Blob'" Mikey's voice kept rising in volume along with his panic. "Man, I wish I didn't watch so many horror movies. Everything bad starts happening when all the goo gets together."

Leo cast a sideways glance at the woman by the door. She was completely at ease with a passive, almost serene look on her face.

"I don't think anything bad is going to happen, Mike," Leo said, trying to calm his brother.

"How do you know?!" Mikey demanded. "You saw that movie! You know what happens when all the gooey stuff gets together! It's like it starts planning a party, and everyone within a fifty mile radius is on the crudities platter!"

"It's crudités, Mikey," Leo said fighting to keep the smile off his face.

"I don't care what platter it is! I don't want to be on either one!"

"Leo's right, Mikey," Donnie called out. "See."

Against the back wall where the bench goo had been gathering now stood not a glob of brown colored goo as expected, but a large section of raw cut timber.

"Dat looks like oak."

"I believe you are correct, Raph," Donnie closely examined the exposed section of tree. "It's warm too, just like the wall."

"But... How can wood move like that?" Mikey slowly inched his way out from behind Leo. "Wood does NOT move like that period, let alone move on it's own."

"Let's go find out," Leo said, cutting his genius brother off.

"If you will follow me," the woman repeated, turning towards the door.

Leo motioned for Mikey and Donnie to follow the woman, bringing up the rear with Raphael.

"Chick's pretty laid back 'bout all dis don'tcha t'ink," the emerald turtle growled. "Bit too laid back."

Leo hummed noncommittally. "She can be whatever she wants," he said. "She's already said she's not the one with the answers." He turned to look his emerald brother in the eye. "But we ARE going to get some answers."

After walking for an indeterminate amount of time, a glass and gold door came into view. It started out tiny, growing in size as the group moved closer. When they finally reached the door, it extended from one side of the hallway to the other, and extended a good twenty five feet in the air.

"I sure as hell don't wanna meet whatever it is dat needs a door dat big ta come an' go."

Mikey whole heartedly agreed with his red banded brother. "No kidding."

The woman stopped several paces from the door. "Through there," she held her hand out to the massive door. "All of your questions will be answered."

"Are you not coming with us?" Leo asked.

"I have not been summoned," she said simply before turning around and returning back the way they had come.

"I hope dis t'ing's nowhere near as heavy as it looks," Raph growled, putting his hands on the door, and bracing his feet on the floor.

It wasn't. In fact the door weighed almost nothing, and when Raph pushed against the gold and glass surface, the emerald turtle had to scramble to keep from falling flat on his face.

"Please enter, friends," came a soft yet melodious voice. "Come, and be welcome."

"Ya got a helluve way a treatin' yer friends," Raph growled stepping into the room behind Leo. "Hate ta see how ya treat yer enemies!"

The room the four brothers stepped into was in direct proportion to the door they had just entered.

It was enormous, easily five times larger than the battle arena of the Nexus. The space was set up into four specific areas, a dining area, a sleeping area, a sitting area, and what seemed to be a bathing area with an Olympic size pool. It looked as if the decorator was trying to define a home layout in the huge open space without the use of walls.

Regardless of the welcoming invitation, the four brothers were the only people there.

Cautiously, the turtles made their way to the area designated the dining room with a large table surrounded by deep cushioned, high back chairs.

"Hello," Leo called out. "Is anyone here?"

"Be welcome, beings of Terra."

Suddenly the room was filled with people.

Along both walls on either side of the door for as far as the eye could see, countless people now sat on benches set up in a tiered stadium arrangement. They were all shapes and sizes, from all the known races of humanity, past and present.

The one difference that stood out among those assembled was their clothing. Some were dressed all in white, identical to the clothing worn by the turtles' escort. Others were dressed similarly, but all in black. The white clad people sat on one side of the room with the black clad sitting opposite them on the other. And scattered throughout both sides were people dressed in grey. Those sitting with the white clad were dressed in light grey while those on the black side of the room wore dark.

"Talk 'bout yer segregation," Raph muttered.

"No joke," Mikey agreed, moving a step closer to his brawler brother.

"Please, be at ease."

Able to pinpoint the voice this time, Leo spun around dropping into a defensive stance. His brothers quickly followed suit.

"Where'd the door go?" Mikey asked, sounding panicked.

Behind them, where the door should have been, now sat a pair of identical thrones atop a four step raised dais. A woman sat upon one, a man, covered in scars upon the other.

"We mean you no harm, and wish only to provide for your comfort," the woman swept her hand towards the different areas of the room. "Rest, dine, relax, whatever you desire. I only ask you speak with me when you are... refreshed."

"You have to forgive us our... skepticism of you hospitality," Leo took a step forward, scowling at the pair on the thrones. "You attacked us. Knocked us out. Chained us in a cell, and now expect us to believe you want nothing more than to talk to us after we eat, and take a nap?"

"It is what was expected," the woman said unperturbed.

"By who?" Raph shot back.

"The four of you."

Leo glanced at his brothers. Donnie shrugged. Mikey looked as if he'd been caught by Master Splinter in a lie. Raph looked pissed.

"Be that as it is," Leo turned back to the woman. "We'll just skip the niceties, and get on with it so the four of us can go home."

The woman bowed her head ever so slightly. "As you wish." She shifted in her seat. "It has been brought to... our attention you four are heroes in your world."

"Who told ya dat?" Raph growled.

Leo noticed the slight frown that crossed the man's face at his emerald brother's demand.

The woman smiled addressing Raph. "It is common knowledge of the universe. You four help those less able, and bring those who harm others to justice. Is that not actions of a hero?"

"Some would say yes. Some would say no," Donnie answered. "It all depends on who you're asking."

"A very wise answer," the woman shifted to look at the purple banded genius, smiling.

"We try to help others who are in need," Leo addressed her first comment. "We have accepted that as our... duty in life."

"You also live by a defined code of honor."

Leo nodded, not bothering to verbally confirm what the woman already knew.

"And as the leader," she looked directly at Leo. "You uphold this code."

It wasn't exactly a question, but it didn't sound like a simple comment either.

"I do," Leo answered.

Raph's scowl deepened, suddenly not liking where this woman seemed to be going.

"What are you dynamics when in battle if I may ask? Who protects whom?"

A low growl rumbled out from the red banded turtle's throat.

Leo paused to glance at his emerald brother before answering. "We protect each other. We each have strengths that complement each other, and over time we have learned where we're needed, by whom, and when."

The woman nodded, as if contemplating what Leo had said. "If one was in danger, and the other three were not, they would come to his aid."

"Yes," Leo said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The woman's attention shifted from one turtle to the next, her eyes roaming over their bodies. "You all are heavily scarred."

Leo hadn't planned to verbally answer, but the woman seemed expectant. "Yes."

"You have shed blood for one another."

"Yes."

The woman's eyes took on a dark intensity. "Would you, Leader-in-blue, again readily shed blood for your brothers?"

"To save their lives, without hesitation."

Raph's hands twitched, reaching for weapons that were not there. "Leo, I'm not likin' where dis is goin'," he glanced at Donnie, and Mikey, getting their silent agreement. "Let's jus' blow dis pop stand, an' get da hell outta here!"

Keeping his eyes on the woman, Leo raised his hand, temporarily silencing his red banded brother.

"Now is not the time for you to leave," the woman said, slowly waving her hand in their direction.

From out of nowhere, a cage appeared, dropping down over Leo and his brothers.

"What the fuck is this?!" Raph roared, grabbing the cage bars.

The next thing he knew, the emerald turtle was lying on his shell on the other side of the cage, fighting to stay conscious.

"Donnie!" Leo shouted.

The purple banded genius was already in motion.

"Mild to moderate electric shock. I think he hit his head on the floor when he landed, but I'm not sure. That could be the reason for his semi-conscious state."

"What do you want from us!?" Leo had to stop himself from grabbing the cage bars. "Why did you attack my brother!?"

"We did nothing," the woman said calmly. "Your brother was injured by his own actions."

"Maybe so, lady, but you could have warned us!" Mikey shouted, a rare rage flashing in his baby blue eyes.

"Mikey! Help!"

Mikey rushed across the cage, Leo hot on his heels.

"Don, what's wrong?"

"Heart stopped," the genius answered not bothering to look up. "Mikey, breath! I'll do compressions!"

Leaving Raph in the capable hands of the two younger brothers, Leo faced off with their captors. "Why did you do this?" he demanded. "What purpose does this serve?!"

The woman stared at Leo. Her eyes flicked to the trio on the other side of the cage before she spoke. "Their efforts are futile. He will die."

"Kiss off, lady!" Mikey shouted between breaths. "He's our brother! We don't just give up!"

"We will save him. For a price," she continued, ignoring Mikey.

"Deal!" Leo shouted. "Whatever you want, I'll give!"

"Shed your blood for them."

"Deal!" Leo answered without hesitation.

The cage shifted, leaving Leo standing on the outside with his brothers remaining inside. Donnie and Mikey were still fighting to save Raph's life.

Leo took a step towards the thrones.

"Save my brother, and I'll do it." The man raised an eyebrow, frowning at the blue banded turtle. "I'm a turtle of honor. You know this. Save my brother. I'll not go back on my word."

So intent was Leo on the man sitting on the throne, he almost missed the woman's reply. "Agreed."

Raph inhaled a massive breath. Halfway through the emerald turtle rolled onto his side coughing as he tried to speak.

Closest to Raph when he regained consciousness, Donnie caught most of what the red banded turtle was trying to say. He turned to look at Leo, terror written all over his face.

"Leo, what did you do?"

Leo looked at Donnie, meeting his fearful expression with calm acceptance. "What I had to, Don."

The clatter of metal hitting the floor rang throughout the now silent room.

"Your brother is alive. Now, shed your blood for them as agreed."

"Dammit, Leo! Don't you dare!" Raph roared, pulling himself to his feet.

"I have to Raph. I couldn't let you die."

Mikey shook his head muttering, "No..." over and over, too shocked to say anything more.

"It'll be okay, Mike. I promise, everything will be okay."

Donnie shoved his way in between Mikey and Raph. "Leonardo," he shouted desperately. "You think about this! You hear me! You think about this before you do anything!"

Leo stared at his genius brother, understanding shining in his eyes. "I have, Don. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Leo knelt, picking up the knife the man had thrown at his feet. He tested the blade's edge with his thumb. It was a sharp weapon, more than adequate to do the task.

"I shed my blood, they go home."

It wasn't a question.

The woman nodded.

"They return with everything they here came with."

The woman nodded again.

"Leo... NO! Leonardo! Don't do it!" Raph screamed.

Leo turned to his brothers, giving them a heart felt smile. "I would do anything to save you, Raph. Any of you. I love you, you're my brothers. You're my responsibility, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He turned back to the woman on the throne. "I am a turtle of honor." Leo squared his shoulders. "I keep my word. I readily shed my blood for my brothers' lives."

Light glinted off the blade as Leo's hand moved swiftly, making the necessary cut.

An anguished cry escaped Mikey as Leo's blood dripped onto the floor.

"As agreed," Leo said, dropping the knife to the floor. "I shed my blood, my brothers go home with all they came here with." He paused, glaring at the woman. "Or are you not as honorable a being as a humble turtle?"

A look of true appreciation shone in the man's eyes as he sat, looking bored, upon his throne. The woman laughed joyously as she clasped her hands to her chest.

"Done!" she proclaimed, throwing her arms wide. "Let the universe know these are honorable creatures, worthy of the greatest of gifts!"

In a flash of blinding light, Leo and his brothers found themselves standing in the middle of the lair, their weapons, and supplies in their hands.

"Someone better start explainin' real fast," Raph glared at his older brother looking every bit the enraged brawler he so often pretended to be.

"Let's take this into the infirmary," Donnie sighed, taking Leo by the arm none too gently. "He can explain while I bandage that cut. Probably going to need stitches too. And a tetanus shot!"

Leo fought to keep from laughing at his brainy brother as Donatello grumped every step of the way to the infirmary.

Raph waited patiently long enough for Donnie to clean Leo's wound. "Alright, bro," the brawler demanded. "Give!"

"According to what she said," Leo winced as Donnie pushed the needle through his skin. "All I had to do was shed my blood. She never said how much, and she never said I had to die. Just shed my blood. And that's what I did."

"It would've been nice if you'd given us a head's up, bro," Mikey scowled.

Leo reached out with his good hand, grabbing Mikey by the back of the head, bringing their foreheads together. "I couldn't, little brother. If I said anything about what I was planning to do, she may have changed the deal."

Mikey was more than willing to let his big brother placate him, but had no intentions of making it easy. "Yeah, but you coulda done something," he said with a little sniffle. "I thought you were about to die." Mikey smacked at Leo's shoulder without any real force behind it. "And I didn't like it one bit."

"Mikey, he did say everything would be okay," Donnie added, trying to calm their youngest brother.

Mikey nodded, still unwilling to let it completely go.

"Leo, ya really t'ink she'd a changed her mind?"

Leo shrugged, looking his emerald brother in the eye. "We know nothing about this new enemy, Raph. I wasn't willing to take that chance with your life on the line."

"Do you really think they are our enemy, Leo?" Donnie asked, rolling the remainder of his gauze to put away. "To me that still seems to be undetermined."

"They gassed my brothers. Kidnapped them. Chained them in a cell. They shocked Raph to the point his heart stopped." Leo ticked each point off with a finger. "That's enemy enough in my book. So," he let go a massive sigh. "If we're done here, I'm going to go put up the groceries, and dig us up something for dinner."

The three brothers watched silently as Leo left the room. They stayed quiet until they heard sounds coming from the kitchen.

"He'd a still done it even if she'd a changed her mind, an' wanted him dead," Raph growled.

"In a heartbeat," Mikey agreed, digging his toe in a crack in the floor then looking at Raph from under his eyeridges.

"And that's what scares me the most," Donnie added.

"Well," Raph said after a particularly loud bang from the kitchen. "We're home now. He's in one piece, an' so 're we. But if we don't get our asses in dere an' stop him from cookin' dinner dere's no guarantee we'll stay dat way."

"I'm all for that," Mikey grinned, grabbing Donnie by the arm, and pulling the genius to his feet. "Lead the way, bro. We're right behind ya!"

* * *

Back in the room the turtles had just vanished from, the man rose from his throne, going to retrieve his knife.

"What have you determined, my dear Balance?" he asked, turning to the woman still on her throne.

"They are honorable, and adequately knowledgeable in the areas in which my champion is lacking."

"Time grows short," he carefully wiped the smears of blood from the tip of the blade. "What if there is not enough time?"

The woman motioned to one of the white clad watchers sitting on the bottom bench of spectators then waited patiently as the man wheeled out a transparent coffin housing a black haired woman within.

"There will be sufficient time, my beloved Chaos," she said, running her hand over the top of the coffin. "My champion will learn. The battle will be fought. And all will be decided." She smiled turning from the coffin to the man sitting once again on his throne. "Then all will be as it should be."

The man couldn't keep from scowling as he glared at the occupant of the coffin. "We shall see, sweet Balance," he said cleaning between his teeth with the tip of the blade. "We shall see."

* * *

Thanks for reading.


End file.
